


The Consensus

by Arethereanydamnusernamesleft



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-09 00:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17396366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arethereanydamnusernamesleft/pseuds/Arethereanydamnusernamesleft
Summary: When Pepper visits the compound she has a revelation about Peter and Tony's new relationship. Confessing this to the others she realises she's not the only one to come to the conclusion that they are simply perfect for each other.





	The Consensus

Pepper stepped out of the elevator back onto the ground floor and walked out into the communal area of the compound clutching her signed papers. There was a wide smile on her face as she thought about what she’s just seen.

“Hey, Pep. Come and have a beer,” Rhodey called over from the seating area where a few of the resident Avengers were relaxing.

“I should probably get going,” Pepper responded, giving a little wave over to her friends. Despite no longer being with Tony she spent a lot of time at the compound for the company these day, especially as Tony had started finding SI uses for the Avengers developed tech.

“You aren’t planning on heading back to the city this late are you?” Steve said looking at his watch with his usual level of gallant concern. “It’s gone eleven.”

“Yeah, stay, Pep,” Nat called, waving her over. “I wanna know what the hell you’ve just seen because never once have I seen you interrupt Tony’s lab time and come out smiling… Fuming, irritated, cursing… but never smiling.”

Bruce popped open a beer from the table and held it out to her. She wavered.

“Friday, is my room made up?” she asked.

“Yes, Miss Potts. It’s all ready for you.”

“Oh, okay then,” Pepper said, folding far too easily and walking over to accept the beer.

Vision shifted up one of the sofas to make room for her and she slid her heels off before settling down.

“So – What has got you in such a good mood? Nat’s right – trying to get Tony to do something while he’s busy in the lab is painful at best,” Rhodey asked as Pepper pulled her stocking feet underneath her.

“A revelation,” she said, smiling again and taking a sip of her beer. The group waited for her to continue.

“Bear with me,” she said, holding her hand up. “I had… reservations about Peter and Tony’s relationship. Peter’s so young and sweet… and innocent. And Tony’s- Well, a hell of a lot less innocent, thirty years his elder, a serial playboy and well… let’s face it, damaged... I just didn’t see how it could work for them,” she began.

“I still love Tony in my own way and Peter is just such a lovely kid, I didn’t want to see either of them hurt, but what I’ve just seen,” Pepper said smiling, “makes me think Peter is just about perfect for him.”

“I think we all shared that worry at one point,” Steve said.

“But you’re gonna have to tell us what you just saw,” Bruce said, waving his fingers to coax the information out of her.

“Okay, okay, I’ve not had enough beer for this, but what the hell… When Tony and I were together he would often disappear into his lab for so long I’d feel a tad neglected and in the early days, before I knew better, I’d attempt to coax him out.”

Vision raised an eyebrow – or at least the panel area where an eyebrow would be.

“Let’s just say I wasted a lot of money on lingerie in those days,” Pepper said. “On one occasion I went down in stockings and a number from Agent Provocateur only to have him send me out to buy ten lengths of galvanised conduit… I kid you not,” Pepper said to the winces on the men’s faces and Natasha’s eye-roll.

“On another evening’s attempt, I got stuck in my underwear holding a magnifying lenses for forty minutes while he soldered microscopic joints… needless to say I didn’t bother after that.

“When I went down to the lab earlier I found- and I shouldn’t be telling you guys this – I found Tony lying on his lab sofa looking miserable and Peter working on one of the lab benches utterly fixated with what he was working on. The thing was, Peter was wearing a very tasteful baby-pink garter and stocking set matched with protective eye goggles as he worked.”

Nat and Bruce started laughing, Steve looked scandalised which made Rhodey laugh and Vision tipped his head in apparent puzzlement.

“Apparently, Peter had come down to coax him out if the lab because Tony was working on something tricky he’d been stuck on for days. Now, I have to say, guys, I feel no jealousy when I tell you that Peter efforts of distraction worked 100% on Tony, and I’m not surprised - our sweet, innocent peter looked decidedly NOT innocent in that lingerie. I gotta be honest it took me a while to stop staring myself.”

There was more chuckling from her rapt audience.

“Apparently what had happened was this - While Peter’s distraction rouse had immediately worked as soon as he’d approached the work-table, Peter suddenly had got interested in what Tony was working on and forgot all about his seduction. In a beautiful textbook example of karma, Peter suddenly couldn’t be coaxed away and started working on it himself. So Tony’s down there feeling sorry for himself on the sofa with serious case of blue balls and Peter is engrossed in the work… Like I said – Perfect,” she said grinning.

“Oh my God,” Rhodey laughed.

“Here’s to karma,” Bruce toasted and they all clinked their bottles with a laugh.

“Like Steve said, I think we all felt a little uneasy when they first got together. Me especially,” Natasha said.

“I’d kinda adopted our Spidy-Kid, so knowing Tony, I was worried that he’d get pressured and manipulated into things with him being so young.” Natasha held up a hand. “Not that Tony would manipulate him into doing anything he wasn’t ready for, just in everyday life – like he’d end up spending his time doing what Tony wanted, attending stupid galas and stuff.”

“Gotta admit, I was worried about the same thing,” Steve said. “That poor Pete would end up trust up in some starchy tux every weekend and not being able to be a teenager – He’s eighteen after all.”

“Exactly,” Nat responded. “Tony’s money and lifestyle are great, but it’s not a lifestyle that Peter would have been happy being shoehorned into – It wasn’t some Cinderella-Prince Charming scenario - Peter didn’t want or need to be rescued from Queens.”

“Anyway, my worries disintegrated after overhearing an argument,” Nat said. “I say overhearing – I was testing some of SHIELD's new long-range audio bugs. But anyway, it was three days to Thanksgiving and Tony was asking Peter to come with him to California for Thanksgiving because he had some meetings there that couldn’t be put off until after the holidays… but then there was this pause and I could hear Peter sniff and cough before calmly asking Tony to come and sit down because they needed to talk.”

“Ohhh, the ‘we need to talk’?” Rhodey asked with a wince.

“I know, and from Peter too -I was so annoyed it wasn’t the cameras I was testing… Anyway, the first thing out of Peter’s mouth was ‘Why are you lying to me, Tony?’” Nat said in a serious impression of Peter.

“Whoah,” Pepper said, reaching over for piece of popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table.

“So Tony comes back with ‘What? I got meeting’s - you wanna see my schedule?’ and then there’s a long pause before Peter quietly says, ‘What I need to know is – are you lying because you don’t want to be with me for Thanksgiving or for some other reason?’

“Then Tony starts spluttering, loses his cool and instead of coming out and telling the truth asks the dumbest question ever – ‘Why would you think I’m lying to you.’”

“Well, errr – to get your own way and you’re breathing, sooo…” Pepper answered sardonically.

“Exactly,” Rhodey agreed.

“Next thing out of Peter’s mouth kinda ended it for Tony – Pete said ,‘You know how I always know how to back off when you’re feeling closed in, how I always know when your anxiety attacks are coming? Because of this – look at my arm – see the hairs standing on end? Since the bite I have a sense – A sense when there’s danger, but I can also feel when you’re scared, when you’re anxious… and when you lie… Right now you’re lying and feeling increasingly panicky. I’m guessing that’s because you can’t think of a way to get out of it.”

“I would have paid to have seen his face,” Bruce said, shaking his head.

“Anyway, Tony then confessed that he didn’t want to spend Thanksgiving at May’s apartment because he was pretty much scared of the woman. He thought Peter’s Aunt hated him for stealing Peter away so young.”

“Understandable,” Steve said.

“Exactly, but the best thing was, instead of saying ‘Okay Tony, we can go to Malibu,’ he told Tony he needed to grow some balls because they were going to May’s for Thanksgiving and be better be bringing desert.”

“Aww, Man. Just what Tony needed,” Rhodey laughed.

“I remember him coming back from Thanksgiving at May’s Parker’s place – he had a great time,” Steve laughed.

“You know,” Rhodey said, leaning over and grabbing another beer. “You said something then that made me understand about my Peter-Tony realisation moment.” Nat and the others looked at him quizzically.

“Remember the Doombot attack a couple of months ago? Tony and I were trying to take on a cluster of them that were attacking the power-grid while you guys all had your hands full with the rest of the havoc they were doing to the city. Tony got thrown into some of the electrical systems and the damn thing exploded, frying his suit and before I could get to him the bots had already started to smash up his dead-suit with him inside it.

“Peter came out of nowhere and helped me fight them off, and as soon as the last one fell he was ripping off Tony’s suit with his bare hands. I was stood there catching my breath – I thought Tony’d be pretty safe in there, I mean it was a bit dented but not too bad. But as soon as Pete ripped the face plate off I could see he was having an all-out anxiety attack.

“Now I realise the Kid must have felt the danger – felt Tony starting to panic at being trapped in the unresponsive suit… I didn’t know that then, but I did see how Peter ripped the rest of the suit off so Tony was completely free and then talked him down from the attack in record time. And instead of trying to get him to go home like I would have, Peter asked the AI to send in a replacement suit… straight back on the horse kinda thing.

“I’ve been Tony’s buddy for years, and I can read him and his moods and needs pretty well, but Pete seemed to know what he needed intuitively, you know? I guess I understand why now – Spidysense!”

“It is reassuring to know that Tony is cared for,” Vision spoke up. “Perhaps it’s residual programming from Jarvis but there is concern when I see Tony neglect himself which is all too often. While others may have been more concerned for Peter’s needs not being fulfilled in the relationship, I was more worried that Peter’s age and lack of life-experience would result in a lack of understanding of Tony’s needs and it would be he that suffered.”

“So what made you change your mind?” Pepper asked.

“As you know I have no need for sleep and a few months ago when Peter was focusing on his exams, Tony spent too much time in the lab. I took the opportunity to check on him on night but was met by Peter carrying a sleeping Tony in his arms while coming out of the lab.

“Despite Peter’s hectic study schedule, Avenger commitments and seeing his Aunt, Peter said he made a point of making food for Tony every night and bringing it down to the lab to make sure he ate. That particular night, Peter had found him asleep and was taking him to bed.”

“He’s such a lovely boy,” Pepper sighed.

“I saw something similar. Even before they got together,” Steve volunteered, adding his own story. “Something a little more manipulative on Peter’s part… but effective.”

“That’s my boy,” Nat added with a smile.

“Peter and I spar a lot– We’re pretty well matched strength wise,” Steve began. “Anyway, we came up here one evening after a bout to find Tony had made his way through a significant amount of whiskey on his own. I’m not sure why he was down but he’d turned to the bottle again to deal with it.”

“I did my usual badly timed lecture,” Steve said, acknowledging the smirks around him. “Gave him my piece on how alcohol wasn’t the solution and how he was being irresponsible. Of course, Tony reacted badly to that.”

“You don’t say,” Rhodey said, rolling his eyes.

Steve cringed. “I know. I’m changing, I’m changing,” he defended, holding up his hands with a smile.

“The thing was, as Tony started telling me where to go, Peter stepped in with a ‘Jesus, Steve – give the guy a break’ and then said to Tony ‘Spot the guy who grew up during prohibition,’ getting a laugh out of Tony.

“The kid sat down on the bench with him making it clear who’s side he was on and Tony looked as smug as hell… right up to the point Peter grabbed himself a glass and poured himself out a shot, necking it before either Tony or I could intervene.”

Natasha’s expression became suddenly matron-like and her eyes narrowed.

“And to my surprise it was Tony who got in first with a ‘What the hell are you doing?!’” Steve laughed.

“Peter shrugged and poured himself another, promising to buy Tony a replacement bottle, as if the challenge had been about who’s whiskey he’d helped himself to,” Steve went on. “When Tony told him he was under-aged, Peter just laughed and asked Friday at what age Tony had started drinking. Once Friday had informed us all Tony started drinking at fifteen, he necked his next shot.

“Tony grabbed the bottle away and Peter complained with a ‘Come on, Mister Stark – You can’t be that hypocritical. I’ve not been drinking long so didn’t start as early as you. Besides, I have much more reason to drink than your 15 years old self and as a coping mechanism for all the shit we go through there’s way worse’. I tell you – Tony’s face went white.”

“I bet!” Pepper said, shocked.

“Peter reached for a different bottle and Tony stopped him with a, ‘You’re not drinking, Kid! Here, have some goddamn juice!’. Peter argued back that if Tony could drink he could too and before I knew it they were shouting at each other and Tony ended the argument by pouring the whiskey down the sink and slamming down a carton of orange between them and angrily shouting “THEN WE’RE BOTH HAVING JUICE!”

“Peter told me later that, like me, alcohol got metabolised through his system too fast to do anything so he wasn’t really interested in drink… Tony’d been totally played and was too infuriated to even notice. It was great work.”

Rhodey was in stitches laughing. “Of all the things I’ve tried…”

“I hear ya,” Bruce agreed.

“What about you, Bruce?” Steve asked. “You seem to approve of their relationship too. Did you have doubts at first?”

“Oh yeah,” Bruce responded. “Though for different reasons; it wasn’t the age or the experience or even the imbalance of wealth or power that made me doubt it would last – it was the imbalance of intellect. Or at least what I though was an imbalance.

“See, I just couldn’t see Tony having a proper relationship with someone who wasn’t on par with him intellectually,” Bruce continued.

“Ah, and I was wondering why we didn’t work out,” Pepper commented, challengingly.

Bruce he’d a finger up. “But you are – You ran a multinational corporation while trying to baby-sit Tony as his PA at the same time, showing a level of intellect in that arena which Tony just doesn’t have. The intellect doesn’t have to be in the same area of knowledge for Tony to respect you. Take Rhodey and Steve – Military strategy, me – Gamma radiation and particle sciences , Nat – espionage, Vision – well, pretty much everything.

“But when we first met Peter he seemed to look up to Tony as a mentor for everything. There was nothing, bar swinging around on ropes, that the kid seemed as good or better at… That was until the moment I watched him take over one of our projects in the lab,” Bruce said, smiling at the memory.

“They’d just got together and they were spending most of their time together so Peter was in the lab watching us both work. I knew the kid was in the top percentile of smarts for his age but Tony and I were working on the bio-chemical compound that the nanites could release to give immediate sutures.”

“The nanites that are now part of the standard disaster response unit?” Vision queried.

“Yes, that’s right. They get released into the air and basically go find someone to fix. Perfect for big disasters with lots of wounded. Anyway, we kept trying and failing, trying and failing, over and over, and all the time the kid is saying ‘Can I have a go?’, ‘Guys I’ve got ideas,’, ‘Mind if I take a look?’ for hours… But he’s a teenager and he’s sat there in a ‘Marvin the Martian’ T-shirt eating gummy-worms, so he gets ignored.

“Eventually Tony and I give in, we’ve tried everything and we’re mentally exhausted and really annoyed we couldn’t crack it. We’ve given it our all and even reached out to Dr Cho who was also stumped. So when Peter asks yet again with a ‘Doctor Banner, mind if I try a little something?’ I retort with a sarcastic ‘Sure kid, have at it!’

“Peter’s been sat there hours but he still jumps off the table he’s perched on with grinning enthusiasm and goes over to the work station, pulling up the molecular structure of the formula and starts asking Friday to set up a whole new catalyst medium for the test. The kid worked so fast, still reaching over to his bag of damn gummy-worms as he pauses to think. Two minutes later and he asks Friday to virtually run the experiment and instead of the ‘Cohesion has failed at 4.8 nano-seconds,’ kinda message we’d been getting all day, he gets a ‘Cohesion achieved with a tensile strength of 150Mpa – Congratulations Mister Parker.’ – That’s the tensile strength of bone, we’d been hoping for the tensile strength of a blood vessel wall to start with. My jaw was on the floor!

“The kid then turns with a shrug and says ‘I figured cohesion would be better if we changed the chirality of the secondary enzyme. I used a photoactive silicon medium and figured I could use photoexcitation of their metamolecules triggered by an external beam of photons.’

“I hadn’t even begun to form a reaction before Tony was scooping the kid up and carrying him off laughing with Tony growling ‘you’re so hot when you talk science’.”

“I didn’t realise he was that smart,”Rhodey said. “I mean I knew he was smart, he’s doing MIT in a year but-”

“When it comes to chemistry he just seems to know it intuitively,” Bruce said.

“They should get married,” Vision concluded to the group after a pause. “Shall we inform them?”

There were chuckles around the group which quickly died off as they looked around at each other.

Pepper tipped her head in consideration, Bruce held up a palm and shrugged. Steve looked at them both and then at Rhodey – clearly neither could think of a reason to disagree.

It was Nat who spoke up. “Nah, they’ve only had three months so far, give them a couple more months to reach the same conclusion as us, then if they’ve not figured it out we’ll hold an intervention,” Nat said, taking a sip from her bottle.

“Agreed,” Steve said with a shrug.


End file.
